Bocchette Alte via ferrata, Brenta Dolomites

From Rifugio Tuckett & Sella (2,272m / 7,455 ft), take trail no. 0303 past the fork with the via ferratas O305/b and O315 and on to the Brenta Inferiore hanging glacier, which you will head up until you reach Bocca di Tuckett (2,647m / 8,685 ft). To climb the glacier, the use of a pickaxe and crampons is recommended and often necessary. The via ferrata Benini heads up the left side of the col, and looking up along Cima Sella you can see the cables and rungs. Bocchette Alte starts on the opposite side of the col. Using your via ferrata set, head up along the north ridge of Cima Brenta until you reach the rocky ledge that cuts across the east face of the mountain. This initial section of the via ferrata has been dedicated to Enrico Pedrotti.

You will then continue along the ledge dedicated to Enrico Garbari, and after a few minutes you will reach the highest point of the Via delle Bocchette itinerary at 3,000 meters (9,842 ft). Looking down to the east, you can see Lake Molveno, and the valleys below will often be blanketed in fog as the sun shines over the Bocchette Alte trail. Here is where the standard route up to Cima Brenta begins (UIAA grade II-III, YDS 5.3-5.4; 3,150m / 10,335 ft). Continue along the ridge and the section dedicated to Dorotea Foresti, which cuts across the south face of Cima Brenta and crosses a fissure in which there is often still snow even in late summer, until you reach the shoulder of Cima Brenta.

Continue across this stunning, exposed shoulder, at the end of which you will head down along a route with rungs, steps and cables to the longest series of rungs of the entire Via delle Bocchette itinerary. This section has 75 rungs, is 30 meters (98 ft) long, and is known as Scala degli Amici (Ladder of Friendship) because the money to construct it was raised by a group of friends of the Detassis brothers from Trento. This will take you to Spallone dei Massodi at an altitude of 2,999 meters (9,839 ft), which is one of the most panoramic spots anywhere in the Brenta group.

To the east, you can see lake Molveno and, to the south, Crozzon di Brenta and Cima Tosa, which is the tallest of the group. On a particularly clear day, you can even see a bit of Lake Garda through the mountains. To the west, you can see the entire Brenta valley as well as the Adamello-Presanella group. From Spallone dei Massodi, head down along ledges and chimneys using the cables and rungs provided until you reach Bocca Bassa dei Massodi, a section of trail dedicated to Mario Chioggiola.

At Bocca Bassa dei Massodi, you will find a fork in the trail. The section of via ferrata dedicated to Umberto Quintavalle heads down to the left and will take you to the shoulder of Cima Molveno (2,915m / 9,564 ft) and on to the Sfulmini hanging glacier and Rifugio Alimonta (2,580m / 8,465 ft). Down to the right, on the other hand, you will follow the Oliva Detassis via ferrata no. O396, which takes you to the Brentei glacier.

This via ferrata features 8 series of iron rungs, including the most vertical and most exposed of the group, which together connect the various ledges and enable you to descend roughly 100 meters (330 ft) very quickly. The trail is dedicated to Oliva Detassis, the mother of Bruno, Catullo and Giordano Detassis, who dedicated this trail to their mother and to all the mothers of mountaineers, who are forced to share their children’s love with the mountains. From the Brentei hanging glacier, you can get to Rifugio Alimonta (2,580m / 8,465 ft) by heading around Cima Molveno and Due Gemelli, or you can head down to Rifugio Brentei (2,182m / 7,159 ft).